This book is a wonderful pictorial of Ali's life and times, triumphs and defeats, both personal and professional. A must for any fan of Ali or the triumph of spirit over surroundings.

From the pictures to the text, Hauser shows Ali in all his greatness. The pictures are captivating and the text allows the reader to experience what Ali has to offer. "In Perspective" allows everyone from the common sports fan all the way to the boxing expert the chance to step into the life of Muhammed Ali.

This book by Ferdie Pacheco, Muhammad Ali: A View from the Corner is a great read. Pacheco is a physician who hooked up with the Ali Circus early on in the ride and who stayed on as Ali's personal physician and adviser for many years of Ali's colorful boxing career.

There are countless books out there on the life of Muhammad Ali and I've read a lot of them, but in my opinion this simple book is one of the best of the lot. Pacheco is currently a color commentator for Showtime Championsip Boxing and he was formerly a boxing commentator for NBC Sports on their telecasts. Pacheco is smart, opinionated, and brutally honest when it comes to his subject - Muhammad Ali. Pacheco let's the reader see how his emotions were torn between staying on as a caregiver for the fighter he obviously loved, or no longer condoning the activities which he felt led to Ali's pitiful health condition today - and eventually resulted in him leaving the Ali camp.

Pacheco has great insight to all the behind the scene hijinks of Ali's colorful life and career and it is a very entertaining book that is honestly told by a man who loves his subject but is not afraid to tell the dark and hurtful truth.

Pacheco truly is the "Fight Doctor" and if you miss this book you miss a great piece of the entire Muhammad Ali puzzle.

I recently read this book.I have to say it held my attenion the whole way through.Even through the end was very sad to me.Since it was about Ali's ''bloody trail'' of defeat.Mr. Pacheco captured all the details about Ali he saw.He even tells about Ali's circus[group of people that traveled with him.]It is a great way to explore Ali's life.It is an excellent book for all ages to read.As I said in the beginning I do not read much.But I have recently taken an intrest in boxing.It is by this I discovered Ali .I am only 15 and in my opinoin it is a great book for any one who is intrested in Ali or a greatperson

As a convert to Islam, this book was -- and is -- an invaluable source of information on what the religion of Islam is really all about. Of all the many books on Islam I have read, nothing comes even close to this one in laying out what Muslims believe, and presenting the religion of Islam in a scholarly, straightforward way.

This book also addresses many issues that can confuse both newcomers and oldtimers alike, such as the reason why Shirk is so often and so roundly condemned in the Qur'an (the short answer: it's beneath the dignity of man to worship that which is below him -- the issue of Shirk is always about associating partners with Allah, it's about recognising and respecting the dignity and position that Allah put you in).

All the basic beliefs are covered and much more.

If you are studying Islam and thinking of converting, this is the book you need to read. And if you're a Muslim without an adequate grasp of what your religion really teaches, you also need to read this book.

For converts, finding authentic information on what Islam really is can be most difficult and frustrating, if my own experience has been any indication. No doubt there are endless reams of material in Arabic, but there's precious little in English, and many of the books are far too short and far too generalised, aimed at painting a broad picture but scant on the details.

That's not the case with 'Religion of Islam'.

I'm grateful to Allah to have been able to read this book, and highly recommend it.

I am currently studying this book. I find it to be the best textbook of islam I have ever read. It will serve me as an invaluable reference for years to come. The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, who publish it, are theologically in conformity to mainstream Islam (NOT connected with the Qadiani Ahmadiyya Movement), so I would even reccommend this book for non-Ahmadiyyas.

Wonderful story. Tells of how Mr. Ali affected an 'underdogs' life & gave him strength to become a writer- even though he (the author) failed english as a subject in high school. This book is not just for sport/boxing lovers. My bookclub (all women) loved it.

Oxfordshire, England
Through a brilliant collection of essays, Miller grounds American culture's ambitions and dreams, uncovering the frailties and failings of those who have become the gods of his generation along the way. The result is not a depressingly harsh reality check, but a poignant personal view of the American Dream that seems to make the philosophy feel that much more accessible.

This was my first David Miller book. I have always been interested in modern iconography and like the majority of the western world am fascinated by Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. I bought "The Zen of Muhammad Ali" purely on face value. It was short and had an interesting title, which, in my mind, made it stand out amongst the rest of the heavily illustrated Ali merchandise currently being sold off the back of the Columbia Pictures/Michael Mann "Ali" film.

What I discovered was a deep, addictive read that I could relate to. Like me, Miller had ambitions on being a successful martial artist and author, but was prepared to learn from the lessons life taught him. He has his heroes and was fortunate enough to get to know two of them, Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. Upon discovering their human sides and Bruce Lee's too, he does not then fall into the common media trap of ruthlessly dissecting them, but instead holds a mirror up to himself and those who decide to propagate the mythology of these figures. He makes a sound argument that through pushing these figures as modern-day gods and adding falsities to their lives devalues them as human beings. This is examined in full in his Bruce Lee essay in the book, "Bruce Lee, American."

After reading his four essays on his time with Ali, two on Sugar Ray Leonard and his one on Bruce Lee, I felt a better understanding and level of respect for these celebrities. I came from a showbusiness background myself and have seen first hand how harsh and seemingly unfair the media can be in their attempts to tell the "truth". Therefore, it was refreshing to see that Miller's frankness lacks the usual arrogant and condescending attitude too often seen in tabloids and unauthorised biographies. Instead he writes always with a close examination of his own mortality and often, by use of self-comparison, further shows why these great men truly are "great." This is never more evident than in his article "Wanting to Whup Sugar Ray."

The third part of the book, entitled "Personal Struggles", appeared, at my first glance at the contents page, to be a disappointing anti-climax. This could not be further from the truth and is in fact my personal favourite. The section starts with an inspired fictional short story and then follows on with real-life accounts of his life, which really touch upon the American Dream philosophy I spoke about earlier. These essays are sometimes sad, sometimes optimistic and always very human. Not being American, I found Davis Miller's work to be a warm and humble introduction to the culture he grew up in. Many can learn from his honest and gentle approach to the human spirit and the life it helps create.

This has got to be one of the best books any Muslim can read. It reveals the truths regarding the mysterious Dajjal and Gog and Magag. The prophecies relating to these figures are explained in such a way as to convince even the most unrelenting critic. What is most satisfying is that the explanations of the prophecies can be witnessed in the world we live in today! Those whose conscience would not allow them to believe in the fairy-tale like stories normally related to this topic, will be overwhelmed to learn the true realistic significance of the prophecies of the antichrist in the latter days as well as the convincing evidence in support of this interpretation (from the Quran, Bible, and Hadith reports). As already mentioned, Muslims wanting to understand the global trials and effects of Islam in the latter days will find this book an invaluable asset.

I bought this book in 1980, when I first heard of The Nation Of Islam. I was already in love with Muhammad Ali and knew that a book he approves of would be THE GREATEST. I was 19 years old then, and I immediately taught myself most of the recipes. I would invite friends over to try the recipes, and the results ranged from "who taught you how to cook so well," to "will you marry me." I learned quickly that if I wanted marriage proposals, I'd better learn how to cook well, and "Cooking For The Champ" by Lana Shabazz turned out to be the best teacher; not to mention its ability to help me get many marriage proposals. Thank you Lana Shabazz for making me a good cook and treasured wife. You are THE GREATEST chef. And yes, I still have my copy.

This is an excellent book and it effectively describes the social, economic and indistrial transformation of Egypt during the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha, often referred to as the founder of modern Egypt. As governor since 1805, in the aftermath of Napoleon's invasion of 1798 and subsequent British aided Ottoman intervention in 1801, he undertook a series of policies aimed at re-organizing the authority through the centralization of military and economic power to make Egypt an imperial state within the Ottoman Empire. Muhammad Ali instituted a policy of military conscription that effectively replaced the Janissary system that had existed prior to the nineteenth century. He shunned the influence of Istanbul in favour of France, whose expertise in military arts and technical advances were necessary to accomplish the reforms required to modernize the army and society.
A principal characteristic of these reforms was a process of industrialization conceived to build local capacity and in the manufacture of military equipment and a parallel capacity in the production of consumer goods to do away with dependency on imports. The state managed the industrialization process and the economy in general through a system of protective trade mechanisms and monopolies intended to guarantee the state's exclusive ownership of the means of production and distribution. Significant advancements in infrastructure and an administrative shift in the organization of land tenure that renewed agricultural growth accompanied the industrialization drive. By the end of his reign Muhammad Ali succeeded in establishing a hereditary governorship in Egypt and de-facto autonomy from Istanbul, though his ambitious industrial experiment did not survive him.
The high costs of manufacturing and idiosyncrasies inherent in the monopolistic management system dealt a deathblow to Egyptian industry by the middle of the nineteenth century. The book analyzes these issues through a study of the characteristics and effects of industrialization under Muhammad Ali through an analysis of his administrative and agricultural reforms, a survey of the military and consumer manufacturing activities. It also discusses the problems that eventually caused the failure of industrialization in Egypt.

Probably the most eloquent sportswriter I've encountered, he combines his wonderful writing technique with a thorough knowledge of the sport gleaned from years spent ringside. Best of all are his comments on the sport of boxing in general, which succinctly describe the multitude of paradoxes that exist within an environment that is at once brutal and, in its own way, incredibly noble. McIllvaney understands boxers and their suffering and transmits their lives so realistically, it's as if one knows them personally. You can't go wrong with this one!

I was part of the first group of people who saw this book before it's release. Muhammad Ali came to my high school to promote cultural, and racial unity. This book helped young teenagers such as myself that the world should not be filled with hate. Healing helped my school heal, with it's powerful knowledge.

A fascinating character and his admirable journey throughout Central Asia and Europe. But more important, a tale of modesty, wisedom and courage for he who for the sake of adventure and knowledge renounced to comfort and wealth. Sayah's description of late 19th Century Europa is highly objective and sober.